A CONTROVERSIAL new vaccination for children was being unveiled today.

But health campaigners and politicians want more reassurances about the safety of the government's proposed five-in-one immunisation.

They warn the Department of Health risks a repeat of the MMR controversy, which led to a drop in the number of children being immunised, because parents feared it could be harmful.

The new plans for a combined vaccination emerged over the weekend. The five-in-one treatment, to be introduced in October, will cover whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and Hib, a bacterial infection which causes meningitis.

It replaces the four-in-one DTwP jab, which is to be scrapped because US research suggests a mercurybased preservative used in the vaccine could be linked to autism.

The new five-in-one jab does not contain mercury but campaigners who believe vaccines have damaged their children are "extremely worried" by the new jab.

Jackie Fletcher, of the support group Justice, Awareness and Basic Support, warned the government could be heading for a row with parents.

Ms Fletcher, from Warrington, who believes her son Robert, 13, suffered physical and mental disabilities after the MMR jab, said: "With five-in-one vaccines, we would want to know what safety trials have taken place.

"Increasing the combinations increases the potential for an adverse reaction and restricts choice for parents, when the government wanted to improve choice.

"I am not anti-vaccine. I know they have been designed for a good reason. But I am concerned we do not end up in another situation like MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) where pre-licence trials were proved to have been inadequate."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow said: "The removal of mercury from vaccines is welcome. However, we cannot afford to have a repeat of what happened in the case of the MMR vaccine."